High school was the most eye opening time period of my life. It was an important time for forming the person I am today. I learned my work ethic, morals, and life skills during this time. My high school, Suffern High School, was a school that pushed students to succeed and rewarded them for their hard work. My high school had a huge influence on me, and how i perceive the schooling experience in general.
Throughout my early schooling, the work i received was overall easy for me. I didn't have a real challenge until I entered high school. Suffern High School offered many options and levels of classes students could take. It was up to the students what level they wanted to work to. If you wanted to be in AP classes, the responsibility was put on you to get the grades to make you eligible for the class. My school was not one of those schools where any student could be in any class they wanted. If you didn't have the grades you were not allowed to be put in AP classes, no matter how hard you said you'd work, or how much you thought you deserved to be in an advanced class. I wasn't in AP classes until my senior year. I always thought that I could manage being in the advanced class because I was always in honors classes, but I'm happy that I wasn't placed into it until i had the correct grades. It gave me something to work and strive for. My school was very good at pushing students to work for what they wanted. Nothing was really handed to us academically wise.
It was strongly encouraged to become a part of the school community in ways other than academics. Joining sports teams and clubs was something that almost everyone did at my high school. There were over 50 clubs for students to join, and anyone could start a new club as long as a teacher agreed to supervise it. During high school I was a part of Health Players, a club that promoted healthy living choice in the elementary school in my district. This is something that helped me decide I wanted to become an elementary school teacher. I loved being able to teach children new things that would ultimately benefit them in life. Besides academics, my school excelled in sports. We had several state champion teams, and students were constantly reminded of it. I played lacrosse during my freshman and sophomore year, and it had a huge impact on my high school experience. I learned time management, and how to work with a group of people to achieve a common goal. These are aspects that will stick with me my entire life.
The teachers at my school were extremely varied. Some were the teachers that didn't care what you did as long as you handed in assignments when they were do. We basically had to follow the rubric and we would be fine. Other teachers were extremely strict and expected nothing short of excellence. One of my favorite teachers was my ninth grade and eleventh grade honors history teacher, Mr. Corini. On the first day of class freshman year he walked into class, and told us if we didn't plan to complete all assignments and go above and beyond the requirements, we were in the wrong place. As a freshman in a new school, this was very frightening and nerve racking. I decided to stick with the course because I knew it would somehow have a major impact on me, and I was right, it did. This this was one of the hardest classes I ever took, but the most beneficial. I learned how to handle a lot of work, and I learned to get assignments done as soon as they were assigned instead of procrastinating. Another person who had a major influence on my high school experience was my guidance counselor, Mrs. Stevenson. Whenever I had a problem or question she was always there to help me. She made sure I stayed on track with my grades, and was a huge help during my senior year. I was in her office almost everyday for two months figuring out what universities i wanted to attend, and working on my applications. I was very fortunate to have staff at my school that only wanted to help us do our best. They made my experience that much better, and that much more influential.
When I look back at my high school experience, I realize how grateful I am for attending the school I went to. I was provided with more than enough resources to help me succeed and excel. I wish every student could have the experience I had, because I believe it truly set me up for a successful future. The skills I learned during this time period will stick with me for the rest of my life, and always be a factor of my success.
Throughout my early schooling, the work i received was overall easy for me. I didn't have a real challenge until I entered high school. Suffern High School offered many options and levels of classes students could take. It was up to the students what level they wanted to work to. If you wanted to be in AP classes, the responsibility was put on you to get the grades to make you eligible for the class. My school was not one of those schools where any student could be in any class they wanted. If you didn't have the grades you were not allowed to be put in AP classes, no matter how hard you said you'd work, or how much you thought you deserved to be in an advanced class. I wasn't in AP classes until my senior year. I always thought that I could manage being in the advanced class because I was always in honors classes, but I'm happy that I wasn't placed into it until i had the correct grades. It gave me something to work and strive for. My school was very good at pushing students to work for what they wanted. Nothing was really handed to us academically wise.
It was strongly encouraged to become a part of the school community in ways other than academics. Joining sports teams and clubs was something that almost everyone did at my high school. There were over 50 clubs for students to join, and anyone could start a new club as long as a teacher agreed to supervise it. During high school I was a part of Health Players, a club that promoted healthy living choice in the elementary school in my district. This is something that helped me decide I wanted to become an elementary school teacher. I loved being able to teach children new things that would ultimately benefit them in life. Besides academics, my school excelled in sports. We had several state champion teams, and students were constantly reminded of it. I played lacrosse during my freshman and sophomore year, and it had a huge impact on my high school experience. I learned time management, and how to work with a group of people to achieve a common goal. These are aspects that will stick with me my entire life.
The teachers at my school were extremely varied. Some were the teachers that didn't care what you did as long as you handed in assignments when they were do. We basically had to follow the rubric and we would be fine. Other teachers were extremely strict and expected nothing short of excellence. One of my favorite teachers was my ninth grade and eleventh grade honors history teacher, Mr. Corini. On the first day of class freshman year he walked into class, and told us if we didn't plan to complete all assignments and go above and beyond the requirements, we were in the wrong place. As a freshman in a new school, this was very frightening and nerve racking. I decided to stick with the course because I knew it would somehow have a major impact on me, and I was right, it did. This this was one of the hardest classes I ever took, but the most beneficial. I learned how to handle a lot of work, and I learned to get assignments done as soon as they were assigned instead of procrastinating. Another person who had a major influence on my high school experience was my guidance counselor, Mrs. Stevenson. Whenever I had a problem or question she was always there to help me. She made sure I stayed on track with my grades, and was a huge help during my senior year. I was in her office almost everyday for two months figuring out what universities i wanted to attend, and working on my applications. I was very fortunate to have staff at my school that only wanted to help us do our best. They made my experience that much better, and that much more influential.
When I look back at my high school experience, I realize how grateful I am for attending the school I went to. I was provided with more than enough resources to help me succeed and excel. I wish every student could have the experience I had, because I believe it truly set me up for a successful future. The skills I learned during this time period will stick with me for the rest of my life, and always be a factor of my success.